Orlando ranks 59th on list of best STEM regions

Kids got into the toolbox and pulled apart electronics in the Orlando Science Center's section during the Share Fair Nation event at the UCF College of Education and Human Performance on Jan. 23(Photo: Veronica Brezina, Central Florida Future)

Looking for a STEM job? You may want to look a bit harder, because Orlando scored low marks on a recent WalletHub study comparing the nation's 100 best cities for STEM professionals.

On the national list, the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford area ranks in at No. 59, tied with the Albany region in New York.

Although no Florida regions made it on the best list, five Florida areas did make it to the top 10 worst metro areas for STEM professionals. Lakeland ranked in at No. 93, Cape Coral at No. 94, Miami held the No. 98 spot, Deltona No. 99 and North Port was ranked the worst area at No. 100.

The data collected for WalletHub's 2016 list of "Best and Worst Metro Areas for STEM Professionals" is based on 16 key metrics, ranging from the number of job openings for STEM graduates per 1,000 residents to STEM performance among fourth and eighth grade students.

Jill Gonzalez, a GrubHub analyst, said that based on the research, Florida's low ranking on the list could be related to the low STEM performance found in early education.

"If the STEM education is enforced at an early level, these regions might see better results," Gonzalez said.

Despite being ranked among the top 10 worst areas for STEM professionals, Cape Coral also ranked in at No. 3 for the highest STEM employment growth.

"In Cape Coral, STEM employment growth has grown about 8 percent, which is huge, but right now there’s only one job opening per 1,000 jobs," Gonzalez said. "So even though its growing, it’s at a standstill right now as far as actual openings."

Source: WalletHub | A map showing the best and worst cities for STEM professionals in America.

-----

Daniela Marin is a digital producer for the Central Florida Future. Follow her on Twitter at @dan__marin or email her at DanielaM@CentralFloridaFuture.com.